# Style Guide

> The Style Guide node holds written visual direction. It cannot be wired into generation nodes, so put your style in Generate Script, Generate Image or a picker.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/settings/style-guide

The **Style Guide** node holds a written description of your visual style: the color palette, the rendering style and composition rules. It never runs a model and costs nothing.

- Found in: Models › Generation Settings
- Output: text
- API type: `style-guide`

**It does not change a run:** 
The canvas refuses a wire from Style Guide to [Generate Image](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/generate-image), [Generate Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-video) or [Generate Script](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-script), so its text never reaches a run. Put the style where a run reads it, as shown below.

## Settings
| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Style Description** | Free text that describes the visual style. Empty by default. |

## Where a style reaches a run

| Where | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Style Guide** in [Generate Script](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-script) | Visual and narrative directions for every scene the script writes |
| **Style** in [Generate Image](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/generate-image) | One of 16 styles, or **Custom** for your own words |
| A [Style](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/creative-controls/style) picker on the **Look** input | Tested wording for a style from the catalog |
| [Prompt pre and post text](https://nodaro.ai/docs/concepts/prompt-pre-post-text) | Your own words, added to every run of a node |

## Write a good style guide

- **Name visual elements.** `muted earth tones with teal accents, soft diffused lighting, shallow depth of field, 35mm film grain` is more useful than `vintage look`.
- **Name concrete styles when they help.** For example, `watercolor backgrounds with soft edges` or `symmetrical framing with a pastel palette`.
- **Keep it under about 500 characters.** A longer guide can dilute the most important directions.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does the Style Guide node change my images?

No. It cannot be connected to Generate Image, Generate Video or Generate Script, so its text does not reach a run. Put your style in the Style Guide setting of Generate Script, the Style setting of Generate Image, or a Style picker.

### What should a style guide say?

Name concrete visual elements, such as the palette, the light, the depth of field and the film grain. "Muted earth tones with teal accents, soft diffused light, 35mm film grain" is more useful than "vintage look".

### How long should a style guide be?

Keep it under about 500 characters. A longer guide can dilute the most important directions.

### Does the Style Guide node cost credits?

No. It only holds text and never runs a model.